Last week I had the pleasure of attending Roam Fest in Knoxville, TN, it was my first time but it won’t be my last!
Let’s start with what is Roam Fest. Roam Fest to put simply is an MTB weekend event, for women, femme and genderqueer folk. It was an inclusive, welcoming event and that was made clear during the entire weekend.
Roam Fest offered guided rides, workshops, and talks called “Shred Talks”, that touched on the important topic of inclusiveness and community.
It was also a bike party, with dancing and drinks flowing at every tent come Saturday night.
Roam Fest also featured pro-women brands that were hand selected by the team. Each branded tent had an amazing team, mostly women, who cared about your ride and who knew how to party too. The team that was sent to reflect those brands were INVOLVED, they communicated, they had workshops and they knew how to make you feel welcomed; it wasn’t the kind of event where the vendors were throwing empty pleasantries – they wanted to make sure you had a good time and they were invested.
So why should you go to Roam Fest? The next Roam Fest won’t be until September 22-24, 2023 in Fruita, Colorado and November 3-5, 2023 in Sedona, Arizona but I strongly suggest that you make plans for it, you’re going to regret it if you don’t. If you do go, you’ll get to meet other riders and talk about issues that only women and identifying women can understand. Let’s also not ignore the fact that these events are also located in world-class bike destinations. For me, the opportunity to demo different bikes that weekend was crucial, I was able to finally figure out my bike size and what geometry felt the best based on my riding background.
Make a trip out of it, and bring your girlfriends! I was fortunate to have a great crew in the form of Nina Buitrago and Carley Young, the weekend not only offered an amazing destination to ride but also an opportunity to bond, it was truly a girl’s weekend – and it was needed!
The women behind Roam, also known as the Roam Collective, truly cared about each person’s experience. I think I was checked up on every hour or so, the team had my best interest in mind, they were fun, hyped and again, they cared. They cared about making sure you had the best experience so that you bring that Roam High back to your community.
Words cannot do this event justice, you just have to check it out.
Head to roamfest.com and our Roam Highlights on Instagram. Thank you Roam for having us out, see you at the next stop!
Hi. We’re Roam Events.
Since we took our first baby steps in ​2016 with a tiny team of two, Roam Events has grown into an industry-leading production company of 25 working with innovative outdoor businesses leaders and game changers to create extraordinary adventure-fueled events. We’re the party planners behind Roam Fest, Roam Rally, The Sturdy Dirty Enduro Series, and other wild adventures. If you haven’t figured it out already, we’re obsessed with all things bike related.
We named our company Roam because fresh air and freedom are at the core of everything we do. You won’t find us sticking to the status quo. We’re about creating experiences that are unique, inspired by nature, and ultimately – fun as hell
